Pollard's List

Today the injustice of the Pollard case is conventional wisdom. New revelations in the case have established the truth unequivocally, just as it was first identified by Appeals Court Judge Stephen Williams more than a decade ago: Jonathan Pollard is the victim of a blatant miscarriage of justice.

And yet, in spite of this, virtually all of the most influential voices in America and Israel remain silent. Even as evidence continues to mount of government misconduct and a shocking violation of Jonathan's due process rights, opinion-makers, journalists and editors maintain a virtual conspiracy of silence.

The American Administration does not take their silence as a sign of neutrality or indifference, but as tacit approval of the grossly disproportionate sentence meted out to Jonathan Pollard. Their silence virtually assures the Government that it can continue to persecute Jonathan Pollard with impunity.

Their stubborn silence is all the more troubling since the Pollard case is not just about one man.
It is about equal justice for all Americans, and fair treatment of Israel as an ally. It has implications for Israel and for American minorities - especially the Jewish community, which transcend the fate of one man.

It may be that no single voice can change the course of a travesty of justice in which the Government has held so tight a rein for nearly two decades; but there is little doubt that the collective voice of leading American and Israeli opinion-makers would be impossible to ignore.

In an attempt to penetrate the wall of silence, J4JP is undertaking to publish Pollard's List.
This is a compilation of the names of well respected writers, opinion makers and editors
who routinely have a great deal to say about Israel and Jewish issues, about justice and fair play - and nothing about Jonathan Pollard. The more prominent names have, as a rule, studiously avoided writing anything at all on the case for the last 2 decades. A mere handful have written about the case - but that was years ago - and they have been silent ever since.

What do we hope to accomplish by compiling this list?

For nearly 2 decades we have been privately reaching out to prominent persons, journalists and opinion-makers, sharing information and new developments, desperately seeking their help. But to no avail. It is our hope that by raising consciousness about this conspiracy of silence and the damage it is doing to Jonathan Pollard and to the Jewish People that they will search their hearts, heed their consciences, and find their voice.

In the year 2004, all of the old excuses for refusal to speak out about the Pollard issue no longer exist. What does exist instead is a wealth of information which shows unequivocally that Jonathan Pollard is serving an unjust and grossly disproportionate sentence; that his sentence was obtained in violation of his constitutional rights; that it was the result of a plea agreement which Jonathan honored and the US government abrogated; that the US Government (which armed Iraq and was furious at Pollard for blowing the whistle) continues to hide its malfeasance behind a veil of secrecy; that the US continues to deny Pollard's security-cleared attorneys access to the classified portions of his record while sharing them freely with those who oppose clemency; and that the US government routinely subverts every effort to get Pollard's case back into court.

These reasons alone should banish any fear of speaking out in support of Jonathan Pollard. Silence in the face of such injustice is tantamount to complicity. Or as Sir Edmund Burke observed: All it takes for evil to prevail is for good men to remain silent.

Here is Pollard's list of those who have it in their power to right a grave wrong, if only they have the will... J4JP urges each one to speak out and put an end to the conspiracy of silence that has plagued the Pollard case for nearly 2 decades.